Unusual Intervention
by amongthewinged
Summary: SEQUEL to Unusual Escape, featuring the return of Annabelle Mallan as she helps Cadel navigate his way through his newest escapade. Set during Genius Squad.
1. Miranda's Hope

This is the SEQUEL (means you read to other one first) to Unusual Escape. Hope you like it.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Evil Genius or any of the following books.

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The night was dark on the docks. The day had started out bright and clear, but had eventually clouded over until the sky was clogged with clouds. Not a hint of moonlight could slip through the blanket.

The slap of wavelets on wood echoed softly all around in the harbor. Boats creaked and ropes complained as the tide lifted the vessels up a few feet. The light mounted to one of the post flickered dangerously, throwing a section of the multi-tiered wood into shadow.

The policeman lounging near the flickering light yawned widely. He wasn't quite sure how he had ended up with this bad of a job. Guarding a boat? What, was it going to sail itself away in the dead of night?

He glanced over his shoulder to admire the sleek design of the catamaran. The curve of the two hulls looked like it would slice through waves with ease. Everything about it seemed graceful, somehow. From the sweep of the hulls to the spike of the boom and the curve of the engine blades in the back. Right down to the grey and mahogany coloring.

He had never been told why the boat had to be guarded, or why it had even been impounded in the first place. Most boats taken were sold off at an auction. But not this one. For some reason he had never been told, this boat was special.

If he knew the story, if he had been told, he might have been more vigilant.

In the dark water under the dock, a little away from the dozing policeman, a head peeked out of the water. Water ran down straight, sandy blond hair, dark with water. Flickering light slid over skin tanned from weeks in the water and caught in the eyes. One glimmered blue, the other a chocolate brown.

Anna waited under the dock, clinging to the post to keep from drifting with the tide. She had been watching for a few days now, and she knew that the guard was getting ready to leave to get a cup of coffee. He'd never stay awake otherwise.

As she waited her eyes ran over her boat again. She had been all around it and under it, and was confident that the hull had suffered no damage. It had been a few weeks since she had left Cadel standing on her boat as a police speeder closed in on them. She hadn't liked leaving him, but she would do anything to prevent getting stuck back in a lab.

There had been other chances to steal her boat back before. When the guard had to visit the bathroom, when he had dozed off on watch, when he had been chatting with a friend on the phone, his back to the boat. But then she had waited for tonight. Tonight, there was no moon. Tonight, there would bee no light to reveal where the boat had gone after it had slipped away from the docks.

Anna hovered in the water while the guard slipped into a doze. She waited until he shook himself away and got to his feet. Her head slipped soundlessly under the water as he turned his back on her catamaran.

The guards head was muddled with sleep. The only clear though on his mind was the rich taste of the venders coffee. He didn't think to look back, so he didn't see the dark figure haul itself up the ladder of the catamaran as he walked down the dock.

It was quite a job to pull herself up the ladder using only her arms, but it wasn't the first time Anna had done it. She slid onto the deck, her brown seals tail, courtesy of her geneticist father who had experimented on his unborn child years ago, was heavy out of the water. But the catamaran, named_ Miranda's Hope_ after her mother, had been designed by her to her specific needs. Anna slid easily across the slick deck and settled into the groove in the deck behind the specially lowered wheel. Only half of it stood above the deck.

Anna stroked the smooth wood of the wheel. For her, _Miranda's Hope_ would always be home.

Her right hand settled easily on the waterproof control panel. This, along with a series of winches ranged around her, allowed Anna to control everything aboard the catamaran even when she couldn't walk.

Anna pressed a button and the tall mast folded over where it met the deck and settled into a well cut for it. A lid slid over and the mast was completely hidden, making the boat into a aerodynamic speeder. Anna started the motors, one on either hull. Putting both in reverse, she eased away from the dock. The mooring ropes, cut before she had boarded _Miranda's Hope_, fell slack against the dock. The boat slipped away from the dock and out into the darkness and the ocean.

The guard didn't hear a thing. He walked back over, blowing on his steaming coffee. The warm drink had woken him right up. He was so absorbed in the coffee, on what he was going to do tomorrow, that he didn't notice the empty space where the catamaran used to be until he got right up to his post. The he saw the mooring ropes, hanging empty against the dock.

He stared at the ropes for a solid minute. His brain tried to figure out what had happened. He had turned his back for a little bit and the boat had vanished into thin air. He hadn't heard a thing! Hadn't seen anything unusual. With shaking fingers he reached for his communicator and called headquarters.

Out on the open ocean, Anna tilted her head back and smiled. The salty breeze was whipping her short hair around and had filled the sails, urging the boat forward. She had used one of the towels that were still in the compartment close to the wheel to dry most of the water out of the thick brown fur on her tail. Now she stood proud and tall on the helm of her ship, flying over the waves. Perfectly free.

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Comments? Suggestions? Thoughts?

Please? Pretty Please?

Pretty Please With A Cherry On Top?


	2. First Contact

No, I don't own Evil Genius or any of the following books.

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Cadel was absentmindedly fiddling with the computer, bored out of his mind with monotony, when the computer dinged. Cadel quickly opened his e-mail, and saw, in surprise, that he had a new e-mail. Well, that wasn't the surprise. What was surprising was who the e-mail was from. It was someone he didn't know.

It put him on edge. He knew that Prosper thought he was dead. He also knew that he was in police custody, waiting to stand trial. Every time her thought about it, a cold wedge of fear drove deeper into his stomach.

He still wasn't sure if he was going to testify against Prosper. The lawyers were trying to talk him into doing it. But if he did, Prosper would know he wasn't dead. That would go over well, he was sure.

Indirectly, that would also put Anna in danger. Prosper didn't know it was Anna who had helped Cadel fake his death and escape. Even the police didn't know. Only he knew. Just as he was the only one who knew Anna's deepest secret.

Cadel shook the thoughts out of his head and glanced at the e-mail's address. _lan. Anna Mallan.

Cadel couldn't be sure it was her. Anna had jumped over the edge of the boat, her catamaran, rather than have the police discover her secret. Once the police had brought Cadel in, they had inquired as to the owner of the boat. Cadel hadn't told them. Then they had spirited the boat away. He didn't know where. Fiona, who was under the impression it was Prosper's boat, said they had taken it somewhere he wouldn't be able to get it. Cadel shook his head. The boat was too beautiful to belong to that monster, he thought. It fit Anna, though.

Saul and Fiona, he knew, wouldn't approve of him answering the e-mail. At least, they wouldn't if they had know about Anna at all.

But how could Anna have gotten hold of a computer? Cadel nearly kicked himself. Computers were available at every public library. It wouldn't have been too hard. The question was if he could trust it was actually her. The Virus had gotten away. He could probably hack into the police network and find out that Cadel was still alive. He would probably see it as a fun challenge.

Cadel looked again at the address. . Animal. She was clever. He ran a quick virus scan that came up empty. He decided to trust that it was Anna and opened the e-mail.

_Cadel_

_I don't know if you're reading this. If you've become hopelessly paranoid in the last few weeks, I'll understand completely. I went through that stage a few years ago. _

_But don't worry. I built this connection myself. It's secure. On my end anyway. But if you've had a day on whatever computer you're using right now, then it's much tighter than mine will ever be. _

_You may be asking how I built a connection in only a few weeks. I didn't have to. I got my boat back. Honestly, and I don't know if this will make you feel any better, it wasn't that hard. Those police goons obviously don't know that they'd have to put_ Miranda's Hope_, that's the name of my boat, by the way, in a **dry dock** if they wanted to keep me from getting her back. Even if it wasn't me who was trying to get her back, that would have been the best option anyway. It would take to long to get her into the water. Whoever's in charge is an idiot. I mean, not only was the boat in the water, but it was as close to the ocean as they could get. Stupid!_

_Anyway, if you ever need an escape route for some unforeseeable reason, it's here. I pulled it up to the city dock and the dock keeper didn't even bat an eyelash. This being a 'high security case' and all, you'd think they'd tell people to be on the watch since they think my boat belongs to some evil genius. I mean, come on, it's not that hard to recognize. You might not have been able to se it last time, but it has a pretty distinctive coloring and design. The guy in charge is a double idiot. _

_Come visit sometime. If you can get away. Hope your having fun. _

_Your favorite selkie,_

_Anna_

Cadel laughed as he read the e-mail. It definitely had Anna's distinctive attitude. He would be willing to bet that none of the teachers at the Axis Institute knew Anna well enough to copy her exactly. The last word, besides the name, caught his attention. He had never heard of a _selkie_ before. He quickly looked it up. And he knew immediately that it had been Anna who sent the e-mail. Without a doubt.

He wondered when they were going to tell him Anna had gotten her boat back. Of course, it wouldn't be phrased like the.

He was finally 'informed' that the boat had been stolen when he was arguing with Saul for computer privilege.

"I don't want you on there. How do you know it's not one of Prospers goons? It's for your own protection."

"But-"

"No. We don't know what they're up to. You know the boat you were on?" Cadel nodded. "Well, it was stolen from the dock. We think it was Prospers doing."

Cadel bit the inside of his cheek to keep from blurting anything out. After everything she had done for him, he owed Anna her secrecy.

Cadel was sitting glum in the kitchen. The second were ticking by with agonizing slowness. He was waiting for Saul to let him go see Sonja. And iot was taking forever.

The whole time he was, well, griping about not being able to use the computer. How could they not understand? Computers were his _life_. He didn't know how long he could survive not being able to use one. It was like taking food from a starving mad. He would go insane. Slowly.

He regretted what her had said to Saul about being contacted by Prosper. He didn't really want to talk to him. And he didn't like how he had upset Saul.

But he was right. He needed to talk to someone who would understand him. And right now, people like that were in short supply. Aside from Sonja, who was there?

There was Anna. She understood, on some level. She was a genius. She was also free. He envied her freedom.

But could he slip away from his security? Saul knew that Anna's boat was gone from police custody. What would he think if Cadel's tails reported him going into the very boat they thought was Prospers?

Unless he could manage to introduce Anna and Saul. He didn't see how, without risking Anna. Cadel sighed. He needed to talk to someone.

"Cadel, time to go."

Maybe Sonja would know. She would keep Anna a secret.

As it turned out, he didn't get a chance to tell Sonja about Anna. After Trader and Judith had left, once they had discussed the Genius squad, he thought she was too worked up to take another shock like Anna. It could wait. He had other things to think about.

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Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease review and tell me what you think.

I really want to know. Trust me, if I didn't I wouldn't be asking.


	3. Plans and Diagrams

**Disclaimer:** I case you havn't seen it before (its in bold on the top of every chapter, honestly, i don't know how people miss it) I don't own.

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"If only we could get access to the lab computers." Trader was complaining over dinner. "Hamish has the perfect program to run."

Something clicked in Cadel's mind, something that had been buried in the barrage of information he had received when he had first come to the genius squad.

"Wait, you said there was a drainage opening? Next to the building?" he asked, setting down a fork of pasta.

"Yes." Cliff responded.

"How big is the opening?"

"Only two feet across. We looked at that when we were first scoping out the building." Cliff shook his head. "It's too narrow for someone with gear to get through, and almost five hundred feet away, way to far for someone to hold their breath. And there's a steel grate over the opening."

"But that can be cut." Cadel said, thinking. "What comes out, sewage?"

"No. We think it's waste water from the labs. There may be some chemicals in the mix, though."

He nodded. Then he looked directly at Trader. "I know someone who might be able to get in." Trader looked hesitant. "She can keep her mouth shut. She's also a brilliant geneticist."

"Define 'brilliant'."

"As a senior in high school she grafted wings onto the class snake."

"And did this person go to the Axis Institute?"

"Yeah, but not for the reasons you might think. And I can't tell you what, so don't ask."

"Can't or won't?"

"Can't. She specifically asked me not to tell anyone." Cadel wiped his palms on his pants. After a second Trader beamed.

"Well aren't you resourceful. Alright. You go ahead and ask your friend if she's willing to do something like that."

After dinner Cadel sent Anna an e-mail.

_Anna, how long can you hold your breath?_

He got a reply an hour later.

_Around 20 min, give or take. Why? _

He told her why. The reply was instantaneous.

_Sweet. So, when do I get to start? _

Amidst the confusion of Sonja moving in there was a knock at the door. Cadel paused at the top of the steps as Trader pulled it open.

"Hi. I'm Annabelle. Cadel said you guys needed me."

Trader looked her over and Cadel saw his eyes settle on the plastic cage Anna was carrying. The corn snake inside looked back to him lazily.

"Ah, you must be the swimmer he recommended. Come on in, Annabelle, wasn't it?"

"Call me Anna." She stepped inside just as Saul started coming down the steps above Cadel. He knew what kind of questions would be raised if Saul found out about Anna.

"Anna, quick. Hide the snake and grab a box." He called quietly.

Anna pushed the carrier into Traders hands and grabbed one of the cardboard boxes sitting next to the door. She followed Cadel as he darted down the steps and around the corner, fussing with something in the box just as Saul came down the steps. To his relief Saul didn't look at her twice. Trader had managed to make himself scarce with the snake.

Cadel led her down the hall and into Sonja's room. Judith was in there, arranging Sonja's clothes with her. Luckily, no one else was in the room.

"Sonja, this is Anna. Anna, Sonja." Sonja turned her wheelchair to face them.

"Hello Sonja." Anna said cheerfully. She set the box down on a side table. "I've heard a lot about you."

"_Hopefully-some-of-it-was-good._" Sonja tapped out.

"Oh, don't worry, it was." Anna began to pull things out of the box. "So are you moving in? Where do you want these?"

Anna helped Sonja unpack, staying out of people's way until Trader managed to finally get them out the door.

Cadel wheeled Sonja into the kitchen, where Cliff was standing over the stove. Anna was seated at the table with Flitter, the snake, wrapped around her forearms. She was holding the bat wings open to show him. She was in the middle of a word that probably had around twenty letters in it when he entered. He guessed she was explaining Flitter's genetics to Cliff.

Sonja let out a shriek at the sight of the snake and her hands went everywhere. Cadel had to scramble to hold them steady so she could type out a message.

"_What-did-you-do-to-it?_" The box's monotone made an odd contrast with her appearance.

"Spliced his DNA with a bat when he was still an egg." Anna frowned slightly.

"_Why?!_" Sonja's screech had brought everyone not in the War Room running. They pulled up short when they saw Anna sitting at the table.

"Whoa, who are you? Is that your snake?" Lexi blurted out. She bound around the table. "Can I touch it?"

"Everyone, this is Anna. She's Cadel's friend, the one he said could get into the labs." Trader announced with a dazzling smile directed at Anna.

"Your eyes are weird." Hamish blurted out.

"You think so?" Anna said sweetly and batted her eyelashes over her bi-colored eyes. Hamish blushed and shut his mouth. She turned to Lexi and dumped the snake in her outstretched arms. "Be careful with him." She warned. "His bite won't kill, but it will hurt."

She turned back to the adults. "I _may _be able to get into the labs. No promises, but show me the plans and I'll see what I can do."

Judith called up Dot with the plans and Cliff turned back to the stove. The adults sat down across the table from Anna and began to quiz her.

"So, how long can you hold your breath?" Judith asked after she had sat down.

"Long enough." Anna answered.

"_You-went-to-the-Institute,-right?_" Sonja asked.

"I did, for a unique reason that has a long story behind it that I really don't want to go into right now." Anna said, holding up a hand to stave off Trader, who had opened his mouth. Dot placed the laptop with the plans in front of Anna.

Cadel watched over her shoulder as Anna flipped through the diagrams. She frowned and traced a line on the screen. She tapped a spot on the screen with a fingernail.

Trader cleared his throat impatiently. Anna looked up and smiled.

"Your in luck." She tilted the screen back and turned the computer toward them. She traced a line that ran from a big communal pipeline and passed under the lab building. A small crosshatch represented a drain hole in the middle of the floor. It was fifty yards from the pipeline, which probably ran another hundred yards from the drainage opening.

"The plans say the pipes a foot an a half wide, which should be wide enough for me to get through. But there's a grate here, and here." She said, pointing at two spots on the screen. "The drain also looks wide enough, but if it's not I can fix a microphone on the grate."

"But wouldn't it get damaged?" Devin said, like that would be obvious.

Anna shook her head. "It's a standard safety feature. They have these three big tanks, possibly containing liquid nitrogen. It makes sense if the labs use a lot of tissue samples. They have to have a way to safely drain it, in case of a rupture. Since they have multiple, big tanks, the drain radius has to be big." She explained. "Unless something drastic happens, the drain will be as dry as a bone. But it looks like the sinks drain into the pipe, so there may be something in the water." She turned the computer back to her.

"Once I get in, what do you want me to do? Plant a microphone, a camera? Run a program?" Anna asked as Cliff began to dish out dinner.

"I have an infiltration program to run." Hamish blurted.

"Yes, we have a few cameras and a microphone to set up." Cliff said as he set a plate in front of Anna. She smiled and thanked him.

"I will need a few things, though." She said, studying the plans. "A pair cutters that can slice through solid bars, maybe an underwater torch. Goggles. I think I have a set of mirrors. A underwater flashlight, and I have communicators." She grinned at Cadel. Newest version. These are waterproof." He remembered the tiny earpiece she had used in his escape.

"Do you know if there are any surveillance cameras in the labs?"

"We don't know. And I think we can get you those things." Trader said. "When do you want them?"

Anna chewed a mouthful while she thought. "How soon can you have them?"

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow night, late. Or early the next morning. Around two in the morning, can you meet me by the drain outside the building? That will be the best time, when most guards are falling asleep."

"We'll be there." Trader said with a smile.

"Great." Anna stood and stretched. "If something happens, Cadel can get to me."

"Are you leaving?" Lexi asked. Flitter had wound his way up around her neck.

"Yeah. I have an appointment that I have to make." She made a face. "A friend chipped the paint on my boat, and I have to get it fixed." She unwound Flitter and lowered him into the carrier.

Trader got up to walk her out. The door shut, and it was a second before Cadel realized it was the back door, not the front. Trader came in and slapped him on the back.

"You have the most interesting friends." He said with a smile.

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All of you who have read this far,

I'm and very dissapointed.

Not one review.

Not even ONE.

So, press that button with the green writing on it and REVIEW.


	4. Pipeline

OK, I'm finally updating.

No, I don't own Genius Squad.

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Anna heard the purr of the car's engine well before it came into view. She leaned back against the stones arranged around the drain opening, adjusting the bad clipped around her waist. In her black skirt and long sleeved wet suit top, she blended in well with the dark niches and bunches of plants. The drainage opening was set into a small hill that hid her from any late night workers. She doubted that anyone would be there at two in the morning, but it never hurt to be cautious.

She looked down at her watch. Even though the moon had set a while ago, she could see the dark numbers clearly, just like she could see every leaf on the trees a hundred yards away and hear the car engine even though it had not materialized in the darkness. The senses came with the genes.

A sedan appeared out of the blackness. Anna didn't move a muscle as the owner coasted to a stop and silenced the engine. The man, way to optimistic for this world, whom Cadel had introduced as Trader stepped out of the car. There was something about him that made the hair on the back of her neck rise, but Anna couldn't quite put her finger on it. Must be that sixth sense thing animals are supposed to have.

"Do you think she's here?" Trader asked as the other guy, Cliff, who had seemed in charge of the infiltration side of their operation, got out of the drivers side. Anna rose and silently picked her way over the rocks. Cliff nodded over Trader's shoulder and he whirled.

"Anna!" He said in a delighted tone of voice.

"Trader." She responded calmly with a nod. "Cliff. Do you have the things I need?" Cliff nodded and held up a bag.

Anna unclipped the bag from around her waist. A sack of heavy duty clear plastic, the top was folded over several times that kept the water out. There was a clip on each side, with straps long enough to encircle Anna's waist. Inside were four square mirrors, each about the length of her thumb, and three slim metal rods with clips on ball bearings at each end. There were also two of the one inch headsets. Anna handed one to Cliff and tucked the second into her ear. Her hair, left loose, fell over it.

Cliff opened the black bag he had brought and pull out the torch cutter Anna had requested, along with a pair of goggles and the flashlight. Anna could see perfectly well underwater without either of the last two things. But a tunnel at night was going to be as black as a cave. The goggles, which she had never worn in her life, were for any chemicals that may be in the water.

Anna knew the toxic chemicals used in DNA analysis. Her father had kept them in his workshop. Red iodide and crystal rinses, acids of the stronger variety. Not things a person really wanted to get in her eyes.

Cliff held up a flash drive and a tiny black cylinder, which Anna supposed was the camera. Anna folded them up into one of the two plush towels she had in the bag.

"Anything else?" She asked.

"You're a person of few words, aren't you Anna?" Trader asked.

"No, just with overly cheerful people. Did you find out about surveillance in the labs?" Trader's smile slipped for a moment.

"No." Cliff took over.

"If there are cameras, I wont go in. I'm not going to risk my rear when there's a possibility you guys can crack it from the outside." Anna warned them. She turned her back and walked over to the grate over the opening. She lit the cutter with a click and began to burn her way through the bars. There was a little stream of water coming out of the drain. Anna carefully placed her feet so it couldn't touch her.

"How does this thing work?" Cliff asked as he tried to take the cutter out of her hands.

"There's a switch on the side." She swatted his hand away and cut through the last bar. Setting the torch down, Anna grabbed hold of the grate and yanked. It came away with a piercing squeal. She set it down gently and cocked her head to the side, listening. The only thing was their breathing and the subtle sound of three heartbeats. After a second the bug noises started back up and she breathed a sigh of relief.

The opening of the drain was three feet across, but, as she climbed into the opening, she could see it narrowed to two feet, and tilted down sharply. She could see the glint of Cliff's flashlight off water.

Anna looked back. "I'm not sure how long this will take. You can stay or go back, it doesn't matter to me. If I can't find air in ten minutes I'm coming back. I'm not going to risk drowning in here." She warned. "Anything else?"

"If you can find a computer you can get into, there's a single file on the drive. Just drag it onto the desktop and open it." Cliff instructed as he helped Anna tie the cutter to her forearm.

"See you later." She said, beginning the two minute process of filling her lungs with air. She set her watch for ten minutes and pulled the goggles over her eyes. Leaving her sandals by the opening, she slid, headfirst and arms out in front of her, into the dark water.

The steep decline of the pipe caused it to be filled with water. The trickle coming out the drain must have been overflow from some source. Once inside the pipe, she was surrounded by water.

For some reason she had never understood, an excess of water molecules triggered an catalyze in her cells, causing them to access a portion of DNA that was not present in normal humans. The cells went into overdrive, breaking down her bones, muscles, and veins in a matter of seconds and reforming them just as quickly into a different form. One covered in dark chocolate fur and powerful in the water. The process, however, was exceedingly painful.

Anna stopped just out of Trader and Cliff's sight, gritting her teeth as spasms of pain shot up her legs. Her nerve endings screamed as they were broken down and moved. She felt like her legs were being ground into raw meat. Then everything went numb as the nerves were finally silenced, and she had a few seconds of blessed relief. But it was over too soon, replaced by a growing feeling of rawness that stung, the way the skin under a blister did. Finally it stopped.

She had had this ability from the moment she was born. But despite twenty years of changing and swimming and living, she still felt an overwhelming sense of power and joy that she could shoot through the water at speeds not even an Olympic swimmer could match and turn on a pin. In the water, that is.

Anna flicked on the underwater flashlight, keeping it on it's lowest setting. The water around her glowed with the dim blue light.

Anna flicked her tail from side to side, speeding through the water. She kept careful track of the distance she was traveling. The first grate was directly under the outer wall of the building, and she didn't want to run face first into it.

The walls were streaked with rust, eve though they couldn't have been that old. Some of the rust was dyed blue green in the middle. Ugly green spots showed where bacteria were growing. Anna touched the goggles over her eyes.

Finally a cross hatched circle appeared in the water ahead of her. Anna slowed, backpedaling with her arms as much as she could. She still hit the grate hard with her hands.

Anna worked the ties of the torch with her free hand, loosening and finally unraveling them. The tank drifted down to the bottom of the pipe. Anna snatched it up and lit it, working quickly around the circle. The bubble from the heated water shot up to the top, forming a little pocket before they drifted back the way she had came.

She sliced through the last bar and shoved the grate away from her. It fell, cut as close to the pipe as she dared, with a muffled clank. Anna grabbed the cutter and glanced at her watch. Five minutes down, five to go. She was running out of time.

The second grate was a little ways beyond the first. Anna slowed and looked down the pipe. It narrowed dramatically. Before she had had a few inches on either side. Now she suspected she would be bumping up against the metal.

The bars were thicker; by the time she was through she had less than two minutes. Anna shot forward, following the map she had memorized. Her elbows knocked against the sides as she saw a glimmer up ahead. Her face burst out of the water, and slammed face first into the drain cover. Anna winced as her nose broke with a crunch of cartilage. She could feel crosshatched bruises forming on her face.

Growling, Anna shoved the grate up an away, hearing it clang on the tiled floor. That was when she saw the tripwire beam running across the opening.

Mellary unclipped her pack and, holding the lip above the water, carefully maneuvered the mirrors out of the pack without letting a single drop in. Anna clipped th mirrors into place, forming something like a rectangle with an open bottom. Anna wedged it into place next to the eyes of the tripwire. In a single swift move she twisted the two side mirrors into position. Now the laser was bounced around th4e edge of the tunnel, leaving the middle clear. Anna pulled herself out of the drain, careful not to bump the contraption. Her tail hit the tiled floor with a wet smack. Anna rubbed a towel quickly over her tail, and a few painful seconds later she stood up, only slightly wobbly.

Her bare feet made no sound as she crossed the dark lab room. Bars of moonlight ran down the middle of the room from tiny windows near the ceiling. Computer banks whirred quietly from along one of the walls. Thick cables led to terminals spaced around the room. Long counters ran through the room, and different machines buzzed, beeped, or sat silently. Anna recognized most of them. What ever the genius squad thought was going on in the lab, they were certainly set up to analyze DNA. There was a large locked refrigerator that probably held patient samples and, sure enough, a tank of liquid nitrogen.

Anna pulled out the camera and looked around for a good place to hide it. There weren't any camera's in the lab. Probably they didn't want anyone to be able to hack in and look at footage. But it scrapped the hiding-a-camera-on-top-of-another-one move. A classic.

Still, there was a dark corner. No body ever looked in corners. These were civilian scientist, too wrapped up in their work to notice anything. Anna pulled herself up onto one of the counters and fixed the camera on top. A group of cables ran into the ceiling from the counter. Anna pulled apart the bundle and twisted the wires from the camera around the main power cable. She tucked it back into the bundle. And jumped down.

That was when she saw the moving shadow preceding the guard. Anna ducked under the counter and tucked her legs under her, pulling the black skirt down. She held her breath as the glass doors to the lab slid open. Footsteps hesitated on the opening. Anna's heart sounded like a drum. Moonlight glittered off the water she had spilled onto the floor. She waited for the footsteps to come into the room. But the doors slid shut and the footsteps faded down the hall. Anna let out her breath.

She crept out and brushed her fingers across the keyboard, bringing the monitor to life. It was locked and password protected. Of course.

Anna wasn't a hacker. But she clipped the flash drive into the computer anyway.

"Cliff?" She asked quietly, flicking the earpiece on with the tip of her finger. "Do you have any idea how to get into the computer?"

"Regular password screen?" His voice asked. Anna told him it was. "Well, you can try…" He talked her through the setup.

"And that should do it." Anna hit the last key.

The computer let out a loud beep, followed by a second. Anna winced as the sound pierced her sensitive ears. She yanked the flash drive out and stuffed it into her bag. Over the beeps she thought she heard faint footsteps, hurrying her way. Anna slid into the drain.

"What's that?" Cliff's voice had finally come through the earpiece.

The pain hit hard. She clenched her teeth, trying her best not to let her mind slide backwards into the world of pain waiting behind her eyes. She grabbed the drain cover and pulled it back into place.

A second later the glass doors opened. Anna backed up silently.

Footsteps crossed the lab, heading for the computer that was still screeching. It fell silent. The guard moved around the room, hesitating by the counters. Anna's lungs were straining. She hadn't had time to saturate them with oxygen. Like a how a whale could take more that a half an hour to prepare for a dive, it took her a while to get a full breath. While her lungs were the same size an any other humans, they were able to hold a much higher concentration of oxygen per square centimeter than a normal persons. But it took time. Time she hadn't had.

After a few agonizing minutes, the guard left. Anna made herself wait a little while longer before she pushed up the drain and took several deep breaths. She let the drain settle silently and twisted the mirrors away from the laser. She collapsed the rectangle, and gripped it in her hand as she shot back down the pipe. It took her five minutes to make her way back to the opening set into the hill side.

Anna slid out silently into the dark crevasse created by the opening. Trader and Cliff were sitting in the car. They weren't looking her way. Anna toweled off and slid her feet into her sandals before she stepped out of the opening and into the moonlight.

They stepped out of the car to meet her. Anna was wrapping the towel around her hair.

"What was that beep?" Cliff asked.

"Alarm." Anna said shortly. She handed the flash drive and cutter back.

"So, how did it go?" Trader asked with a grin. Anna leveled him a look.

"The alarm went off. How do you think it went?" She stretched and yawned. "If you need anything else, Cadel will know how to get ahold of me." She walked off toward the trees, where she had parked a while ago, and vanished into the dark.

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REVIEW. Please.


	5. Don't Get Involved

**No, I don't own.**

* * *

"Unless you want a fist in the gill, you better back off." Anna growled at a grey shadow slicing through the water around her. She shook her fist at it and slung her underwater clipboard up onto the deck of her boat. Anna hauled herself up, shaking water off her tail.

A few hours later she finished entering the last of the figures into a spreadsheet. A local company had hired her to do a survey of the local fish populations. It was a nice job, one she was uniquely suited to. At least she didn't have to worry about equipment malfunctions.

She sent off the report and lounged on the deck, enjoying the sun on her tan skin. A beep startled her, bringing her out of her daydreams of turquoise water. Anna wandered under the deck, brought up the computer screen as she lazily leaned against the desk.

As she scanned the e-mail her posture changed. Her muscles tightened, her half closed eyes opened wide. She straightened up instead of lounging.

Anna typed out a two word reply and dashed up onto the deck. Not even bothering with the sail, she pulled the pin out of the mast and let it collapse back into the groove in the deck. Racing back to the controls, she gunned the motor and whipped the boat around in a tight turn. The sudden waves caused by the boat scared away the shark that was still circling, entranced by the unusual scent in the water.

Anna waited impatiently, tapping her fingers against the door frame as she listened for footsteps inside the quiet house.

"Come on, I know you can see me." She hissed. She glanced behind her, noting the inconspicuous sedan that was parked on the other side of the street, the same one that had been here last time she had come.

"Anna, thanks for-" The door opened.

"Cadel, get away from the door!" A voice she didn't recognize called from within the house. Anna slipped in quickly and shut the door behind her, locking it with a flick of her fingers. A tall man, looking slightly rumpled, came down the stairs and grabbed Cadel by the shoulder, pulling him back a couple of steps.

"Who are you?" He demanded.

"I'm Anna Mallan. I'm a friend of Cadels."

"Miss Mallan, I'm afraid now isn't the best time…" Anna sighed and brushed by him, walking into the kitchen.

"So what happened?" She asked.

_Cadel_

Cadel thought Anna took the news rather well. She sat at the table calmly, her face going slightly white as he told her.

"You shouldn't get involved." Saul told her bluntly after a few minutes of silence. Cadel watched silently as Anna fixed the detective with her piercing bicolor glare.

"I'm already involved." She told him. "And by the way, you really need to train your guards better. It was ridiculously easy to get my boat out of the marina."

"What boat?" Saul asked.

"My catamaran, the one you seized a couple months back."

"Anna helped me get away from Prosper." Cadel clarified. Saul's eyes widened, and Anna smirked at his expression.

"Anyway, if you need to get people out then I'd be happy to offer my boat again." Anna said.

"No." Saul said. "And how did you get out of the marina?" He sounded thoroughly mystified, even if her was trying to hide it.

"That's for me to know and you not to." Anna told him firmly.

Trader came into the kitchen just as Saul was about to open his mouth. "That's settled. I've found emergency accommodation for Hamish and the twins, down in Maroubra. Oh, hello, Annabelle."

"Anna, Trader. Anna."

"Right. Unfortunately, no one can take Sonja for the night, but that's okay. I'll sleep here myself and make sure she's looked after properly."

"I could take Sonja." Anna volunteered.

Trader looked thoughtful for a second before he shook his head and smiled at her. "You don't have the qualifications to care for her. I'd hate for something to happen."

"Are they going to be together?" Cadel asked. Trader winked at him.

"Oh yes. It's a big house by the ocean. They'll love it." Cadel remembered Judith's mansion by the ocean. "And you can help those kids pack." Trade turned to Saul. "And you wanted a quick run of the alarm system?" He guided the detective out of the room. Cadel trotted along behind them. Just as he was crossing the threshold, the turned and looked over his shoulder. Anna was still sitting at the table. She was frowning, and drumming her fingers on the wood.

_Anna_

Everyone rushed around, getting things ready for the other kids to leave. Anna wandered around, avoiding the detective and Trader whenever she could. Something about the way she had been shot down when she offered to take Sonja bothered her slightly, made the hair on the back of her neck prickle. Eventually she found herself in Sonja's room.

Sonja's wheelchair was facing away from the door. Anna cleared her throat hesitantly. The wheelchair turned and Sonja twitched as she saw Anna.

"I've been thinking," Anna began. "About what you asked me last time. And honestly, I'm not really sure why I did that to Flitter. It didn't hurt him, at least, I don't think it did. I don't know, I can't talk to him." Anna settled into a chair. Sonja turned to face her. She didn't say a thing.

"Also, I think I just wanted to see if it was possible. To see if I could create something, the way my father could. Maybe just to see if I was alone in the world." Anna could see the confusion in Sonja's eyes. She smiled ruefully. "It's a long story."

"_I'm-not-going-anywhere._" Sonja typed out.

"Well, if you have time…" Anna shut the door and crossed over into the bathroom. She shut that door also, leaving Sonja in the bed room. She had seen herself changing. It wasn't pretty. Anna turned on the water into the tub and slid her legs underneath, riding out the pain.

Anna did a little sort of army crawl across the floor of the bathroom, using her muscular tail as propulsion. It was a technique she had perfected. She reached up and opened the door, swinging it wide.

"This is why." She said, knowing her eyes were filled with sadness.

_Cadel_

Cadel watched the rest of the squad pull away. The house was strangely quiet, deserted. It gave everything that had happened that day more weight, brought it crashing down on his head. He closed the door and rested his head against it, rubbing his eyes. He walked slowly toward Sonja's closed door. A muffled voice was coming from the other side. It was lighter than Saul's or Traders. Cade frowned and opened the door. Anna was sitting on Sonja's bed with a brush in one hand, gently teasing her hair out.

"… when they arrested my father I was eighteen, and had barely managed to weasel my way into a GED from the high school I was going to. They were ready to kick me out, but the degrees were already printed, so they just gave it to me, kicked me out early. I saw the police cars coming from around the block, so I grabbed all the records he had kept on me over the years and went out the back door. I had just gotten my boat, _Miranda's Hope, _named after my mother, and I left. Sailed away and didn't come back." Cadel stood frozen in the doorway, unsure whether to leave or stay.

"_Why-is-the-boat-your-mothers-hope?_" Sonja tapped out. Anna smiled slightly.

"My mother died giving birth to me. My father, or course, couldn't let her go to the hospital, and there were complications. The boat wasn't my mothers hope for the future. I was."

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This was one of my first times bouncing viewpoints around, so if i could get some feed back on that, it would be great.

if I could get any feed back at all it would be wonderful.

That's aimed at you, dear reader.


	6. Too Late, You're Involved

I know it's been forever since I last updated this thing. I kept putting off getting my hands on a copy of Genius Squad. I apologize to anyone who was anxiously holding their breath for the next chapter. I'm sorry it took so long.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Genius Squad or any of the books.

* * *

Anna stayed with Sonja through the afternoon. They sat and talked about innocent things, completely avoiding the reason why the house was so silent. She read a few passages out of a worn paperback copy of _20,000 Leagues Under the Sea_, her favorite book. She regaled Sonja with tales of close encounters with shark, killer whales, octopi, and told her about some of the underwater marvels she had seen, including a sunken city in the Mediterranean Sea. Cadel walked in during her story.

"They were calling it Atlantis for a little while, before they found the ancient records. Turns out it was a tiny town that slid into the ocean when Vesuvius went off and buried Pompeii and Herculaneum. A foreshock weakened the ground under it, and land collapsed into the sea, which was why the town escaped the pyroclastic flow. While it's not the fabled city of Atlantis, you can see why people might have thought that." Anna said. "Interesting, isn't it." This comment as directed at Cadel as he came in the room. "Are you alright? You look a little white."

"I'm fine." Was his automatic response.

Saul appeared in the doorway behind Cadel. Anna sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Everyone has been evacuated. It's time for you to leave." Saul said distractedly.

"The only way I'm leaving," Anne said slowly, in an overly patient voice. "Is if you have people bodily drag me out. Now, how many of your men do you want to have concussions when night comes around?"

Saul gave her his full attention. "It would be better for you if you left."

"And it would be better for Cadel and Sonja if I stayed. Aside from knowing rudimentary martial arts, I'm very distracting. You guys look like you need it." Anna said patiently. "I'm also and abstract thinker. It's always good to have one of us around." Cadel snorted, and Anna beamed.

Saul hesitated, then switched topics. "I've been receiving reports. They haven't found Prosper yet, but they think he's headed south. Do you know if he has a boat stashed near Wollongong?" The question was directed at Cadel, but Anna answered anyway.

"I know one is gone for certain." Anna said. "It made a lovely localized earthquake when the gas tank caught fire." She remembered the alkali bomb she had made with a smile. "And he did have one around the area you mentioned. I half wish he'd try to use it."

Saul looked alarmed. "And why is that?"

Anna grinned. "Because it has more holes in it that Swiss cheese. Of course, it doesn't look like it. I patched them up nicely. But as soon as the engine starts…" She whistled. "That thing will take on water faster than a parched elephant."

"_How-fast-is-that?_" Sonja asked.

"Pretty dang fast." Anna winked. "I got to experiment with my new drill. It was fun."

Saul looked a little nonplussed, but he quickly shrugged it off and left.

"I don't think he likes me." Anna mused.

The rest of the afternoon dragged on, even with Anna demonstrating her back handspring in the living room. Finally, She tucked Sonja into bed and was able to look after Flitter, who she never went anywhere without. She hung around the ground floor, sitting perfectly still and listening intently. She could hear Cadel tossing and turning, and Sonja's light snores.

Her mind was beginning to itch. She was so used to being in the water for most of the day, that it was disconcerting to stay dry for more than twelve hours.

Her condition wasn't a physical one. It was mental, a habit that she had formed. Like an alcoholic craving a drink, her mind was craving the silvery feel of water through her fur.

Anna checked the time. Two in the morning. She stood, shaking a few kinks out of her legs. She crept up the stairs, as silent as a shadow. The bathroom on the second floor was open, and equipped with a full sized bath tub. Anna smiled and snagged a towel out of the closet.

She sank into the warm water, biting her lip against the pain of the change. She looked away, not wanting to watch the change.

Leaning back in the tub, Anna closed her eyes. Her fingers felt the dark chocolate fur, rich and thick like a coat. It ended at her hips, where the fur grew sparser until all that was left was smooth skin. She peeked an eye at the brown tail, the flippers at the end hanging over the edge of the tub. She seven feet long with her tail, gaining more that a foot of length.

The warm water, so different from the ocean, lulled her into a light doze.

She awoke to three sets of footsteps going past the second floor landing. The water had lost its heat, becoming lukewarm. Anna slowly began to lift herself out of the water.

She stopped when someone whimpered on the landing outside. Temporarily losing her sanity, she called out.

"Cadel? Is that you." The footsteps paused. Anna frowned, listening intently. Sure enough, there were three distinct heartbeats. In her seal form, her already good hearing was elevated, like she was in the water. So not only could she hear the heartbeats, she could tell that one was higher and faster, probably belonging to a child. But it was abnormally fast.

At her voice the heartbeat skyrocketed.

Her common sense came back to her with a crash. Anna swore, not longer bothering to be quite. She tried to jump up and out of the tub, and ended up falling on the floor with a loud thud. She reached up to grab the counter. Her fingers slipped, pulling her towel down onto the floor.

Anna scooted forward as fast as she could, reaching for the lock on the door. In some lapse of sense, she had left the door unlocked, probably because everyone had been asleep.

She heard footsteps begin to move toward the door. Anna made a desperate lunge for the lock. The tips of her fingers brushed the metal, but she fell short, crashing back down to the ground with a thud. The handle turned. Anna tucked her tail under her and clutched the towel around her.

Saul looked down at her, eyes wide in surprise. It took her a minute to see through the disguise and recognize Alias. She swore again, louder.

"Prosper. Look at this." Alias turned to talk to someone over his shoulder. Even though she had already guessed that Prosper would be here, her heart skipped a beat. Then she remembered that her tail was showing, and her heart stopped.

She looked past Alias to see Prosper, dressed as Zac, holding a gun to Cadel's head. Her breath caught in her throat, and she decided this wasn't a good day for her cardiac system. At this rate she was going to have a heart attack.

Prosper took the gun away from Cadel, who was as pale as a ghost and trembling, and pointed it at her.

"Annabelle Mallan." He said.

"Prosper." She responded in an equally even voice. "I'd say it's nice to see you again, but I'd be telling a horrendous lie."

"What should we do with her?" Alias asked.

"Put her downstairs with the others." Prosper said, not moving the gun. "Come on, Annabelle. I really don't want to hurt anyone, but I will if you push me."

Alias grabbed her arm to haul her to her feet. Anna tried to pull away, but she wasn't in the best position to fight back. She closed her eyes and Alias pulled her off the ground.

There was complete silence on the landing. Anna peeked through her eyelashes. Both Prosper and Alias were staring at her tail. Anna sighed in resignation.

"Is it real?" Alias asked.

"As real as it gets." Anna responded. She reached out and hooked her tail around his legs and pulled hard. Alias's legs flew out from under him and they both fell heavily to the ground. Anna began to crawl back towards the bathroom, but she was hampered by her tail.

Alias scrambled back to his feel and stepped on her tail, hard. Anna bit back a scream of pain as she heard something crack.

"Let me guess." Prosper sounded bored. "Your father did this." Alias held her up by her tail, so she was hanging upside down in a very undignified manner. Anna's torso was still resting on the ground. She propped her chin on her elbow, looking equally as bored.

"Yep, the sadistic-" She went on to add a few colorful adjectives.

"If you wouldn't mind holding your tongue in front of my son." Prosper said, leveling the gun at her again.

"Oh, stop waving that thing around. The safety's not even off." Anna complained. Prosper looked annoyed. Cadel looked surprise.

Prosper met Alias's eyes and jerked his head toward the ground floor. Alias began to walk down the steps, dragging Anna by the tail the whole way.

* * *

Let's follow normal procedure here.

If you liked it, tell me so and why.

If you didn't like it, tell me so and why.

And if you're somewhere in the middle, tell me that anyway.


	7. Ripples

Disclaimer: I do not own Genius Squad.

* * *

Anna was glaring at Alias, rubbing her tail and looking slightly stunned. She had hit her chin hard on the last step, snapping her head back. Alias had set her in a chair and had vanished into Sonja's room. In the mean time, Prosper had his gun trained on Anna, the safety off.

Cadel shifted from foot to foot, trying to think. Fear had clogged his brain.

Anna yelped, distracting him. The chair Alias had set her in was wood, and her soaking wet fur was sliding off the wood. She slipped sideways, almost spilling onto the floor before wrapping one of her hands around the top of the chair. Her tail was sliding out from under her.

"A little help please?" She said, trying to wrap her tail around the legs of the chair to keep from sliding off entirely. Proper nodded to Cadel.

He walked slowly over. As soon as he came within range, Anna let go of the top of the chair and wrapped a hand around his shoulders. Her fingers clung to the back of his sweatshirt, pulling it down.

Anna managed to settle on the chair, clinging to his sweatshirt as a hand hold. Her fingers brushed his spine as she let go. A drop of water, left from her fingers, clung to his skin.

"So this is the plan." Prosper said. The gun hadn't moved an inch. Anna glared at him. Even the look from her brown eye, normally so warm, was icy. The only thing he could think about was how brown wasn't an icy color.

"We're going to walk out of here and get into the policeman's car. Alias will be driving. I'll be holding Sonja. If you do anything to alert that surveillance team, it's Sonja whose going to suffer."

"Just like a playground bully. Always picking on those who can't fight back." Anna sneered.

"And you are not going to say a word." Prosper said, addressing her directly. "Or not only is Sonja going to suffer, but certain geneticist will be made aware of your whereabouts. Am I correct in assuming that you are interested in avoiding your fathers circle?" His voice was malicious.

"You are." Anna refused to be ruffled.

There was a thud from Sonja's room that made Cadel's head whip around. He started toward the door.

Prosper grabbed his shoulder, his arm twisted so the gun remained trained on Anna.

"Oh, just put that thing away. I can't move fast enough to be a real threat, and it's only going to go off accidentally and hurt someone. And you can be sure that a gunshot will bring the police running." She snapped.

Cadel looked up. A slightly confused look flashed through Prosper's eyes as he put the safety on and slid the gun into his holster.

Anna must have seen the look too, because she rolled her eyes. "Please. I'm not stupid. I don't have the advantage." _Yet_, her eyes said.

Cadel saw her eyes flick from Prosper to over his shoulder. Her entire body stiffened. Cadel's head whipped around.

"What have you done?" He cried, seeing Sonja's limp form hanging from Alias's arms.

"Nothing permanent. Just a touch of chloroform." Alias said.

"_Chloroform?_" Cadel was appalled. Anna hissed under her breath.

"It makes her easier to managed." Prosper said.

"Or you could just leave her here and not have to worry about her at all." Anna suggested. Prosper ignored the comment.

"Cadel? Are you going to behave?" He tried to swallow, but his throat wouldn't work. "It wouldn't be very nice for anyone if we ended up besieged in here, would it?"

Cadel shook his head, wordless.

"Then let's go." Prosper had an arm around his shoulder's, guiding him out the door.

They passed by Anna's chair. In a single move, her tail unwound from the chair legs and flashed forward, aiming for Prospers legs. The strike was so fast he wouldn't have seen it until it had landed. He hadn't even realized she had moved until her tail froze, a foot from Prosper.

The man whirled, drawing the gun in the same motion and training it on her.

Anna's tail dropped to the floor with a dull thud. Cadel looked up, into her bicolored eyes. They were wide with surprise and pain. Anna doubled over with a low moan.

For a second Cadel was sure that Prosper had fired the gun, until he realized there would have been a gunshot, and blood.

Then he saw the fur on Anna's tail rippling. As he watched it began to retract, pulling back into her skin until all of the rich brown fur was gone.

They were completely silent, watching the muscles move under her skin.

Anna looked up, meeting Cadel's eyes. She looked… helpless. Completely and totally helpless. And in a great deal of pain.

There was a sharp pop. The muscles around the base of her tail, where the two feet-like flaps met, clenched and relaxed. The bone there had split in two.

He heard a faint whisper, coming from her direction. Cadel leaned forward slightly.

"_Go._" The word was barely audible. Her eyes were pleading; this was not something she wanted them to see. lines of red appeared along the middle of her tail. Throught the split skin they could see the striated muscles wrapping around her tail.

Another series of pops came, and a red drop of blood appeared on Anna's lip where she had bitten it.

Prosper's arm clenched around Cadel's shoulder's, forcing him toward the door. They passed out into the night, rushing down the stepped and into the car. As the door closed Cadel heard a sharp sound, though he couldn't be sure if it was Anna or simply the door swinging closed. He glanced back towards Sonja and the closed door.

It wasn't until they stopped to change clothes that he realized that the drop of water Anna had left on his back hadn't gone away. Alias left the bathroom where he was changing for thirty seconds, giving Cadel enough time to twist around and glimpse his back in the mirror. High on his spine was a drop of some clear plastic with a sticky base. Suspended inside the plastic was a tiny chip, more like a twist of wire, as fine as any he had seen in the Institute. As he watched a tiny light blinked. Unless, his brain had completely stopped functioning, it was a tracking device.

Cadel felt a small smile creep onto his mouth. He pulled the shirt over his shoulders before Alias had a chance to open the door and see the tiny plastic drop.

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Reviews always appreciated.


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